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I had acl surgery a couple months ago and have sadly not been able to start / drive my 1969 Vette (manual). Got the Doc's ok to drive a week ago, and when I went to start her up, completely dead. What is my best course of action with the battery.....jump it, hook up a battery tender and slowly recharge or replace altogether?
Glad to hear you are recovering and getting back to a normal life.
A "Battery Tender" will not charge if the battery is completely dead. You will need a stronger charger. How old is the battery ? If it is an older one I would just replace it. You could try to charge it with a regular type battery charger and see if it will hold a charge but usually if completely dead, no lights or volts at all then time for a new battery. Check it with a volt meter and if it has 9 or more volts you may be able to bring it back to life.
Good luck and don't exceed what the doctors tell you what you can do or you will pay for it. I know this first hand.
A 12V automotive battery can lose 1% of its charge per day. So after a week, its lost 7%, no big deal. But 60 days, as in your case, equals 60% loss, or a little more than half. This is why car part stores sell batteries that are half dead. Nobody charges them often enough.
But I bet you have a parasitic drain somewhere that is speeding up the battery drain issue. Maybe a car alarm. Newer stereo system, GPS, who knows.
Some people think car batteries only live 5yrs. I have a Optima Red Top that is eleven yrs old. But I take care of it. Its put on a Battery Tender if the car is not in use for more than two weeks. I have one parasitic draw (stereo memory / clock).
Only you can decide if the age of your current battery warrants replacement. Otherwise, just charge it and see what happens.
Glad to hear you are recovering and getting back to a normal life.
A "Battery Tender" will not charge if the battery is completely dead. You will need a stronger charger. How old is the battery ? If it is an older one I would just replace it. You could try to charge it with a regular type battery charger and see if it will hold a charge but usually if completely dead, no lights or volts at all then time for a new battery. Check it with a volt meter and if it has 9 or more volts you may be able to bring it back to life.
Good luck and don't exceed what the doctors tell you what you can do or you will pay for it. I know this first hand.
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Quick follow up question - I have a 350/350 as well - what battery are you using?
Quick follow up question - I have a 350/350 as well - what battery are you using?
Currently car is not on the road and no battery. Last battery I used was a Delco.
In my other vehicles, bikes & cars I have used other brands and have had good luck with them lasting many years over 5. I do keep a "Battery Tender" on them when not in use.
EVERY vintage car that COULD sit unused for months at a time should have a battery disconnect on one of the battery terminals. When the car will be sitting (a week, a month, a year, ???), just disconnect the battery and all will be JUST AS IT WAS when you disconnected it. Mine just sat in stroage for about 6 months. Reconnected the battery and it fired right up!
EVERY vintage car that COULD sit unused for months at a time should have a battery disconnect on one of the battery terminals. When the car will be sitting (a week, a month, a year, ???), just disconnect the battery and all will be JUST AS IT WAS when you disconnected it. Mine just sat in stroage for about 6 months. Reconnected the battery and it fired right up!
Agreed, I had a battery disconnect on previously but took it off when I was doing some work on the car. Didn't put it back on as for some reason, given the tight compartment, wasn't able to get it back on to my satisfaction as I had originally. Anyway, lesson learned that it will go back on once I figure out the current battery situation.
Hi everyone, another helpful tool in a scenario like this could be our Battery Tracker. If you do decide to keep the battery connected instead of a disconnect you can have the Battery Tracker attached to your battery to monitor the voltage. The device pairs up to your phone via a bluetooth app and will sync the information anytime you're within 30ft of the vehicle. The tracker will also log the voltage for 30 days and can be set to notify you if the battery is low and may need charging. In addition to this it also has a cranking test as well as a charging test so you can verify your battery is up to snuff and everything is working as it should in the vehicle. We offer a Lithium Battery Tracker as well as a Lead/Acid Battery Tracker and you can check them out below. As always please let us know if you any questions at all.
Chad chad@antigravitybatteries.com
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Dead battery following ACL surgery
